In Hidden Places, UrbanTurf takes a look at some of the charming but lesser-known one- and two-block streets in the District. This week, we’re featuring Bending Lane NW in the Palisades.

Bending Lane NW

Bending Lane is a one-block street tucked away off Reservoir Road that dead-ends near Hutchins Place just beyond the Georgetown Reservoir (map). Most of the homes on Bending Lane are built in the mid-century modern style and sell at prices ranging from $800,000 to $1.25 million. A large, updated home on adjacent Hutchins Place is currently on the market for $2.5 million.

An UrbanTurf reader tipped us off to Bending Lane’s best feature: the homes on the southern part of the street have sprawling yards that back up to a public greenway next to the C&O Canal, the old Glen Echo trolley right-of-way, and beyond them, the Potomac River. In original city plans — you can still see a road denoted in some modern maps – a section of Potomac Avenue was supposed to run behind these homes.

But according to our tipster, historic preservationists had the project stopped to save the Whitehaven Plantation at 4928 Reservoir Road (map). The home would have been demolished if the plans went ahead. The Palisades Citizens’ Association says the home was built in 1754.

Another of the street’s best features: its extremely tall trees. They’re big enough that the block feels more like a forested neighborhood than a city street just minutes from Key Bridge.